1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for preparing a food powder, to the powder obtained by this process, and to food products prepared with the said powder as a starting material as well as with other ingredients.
The food powder obtained according to the present invention contains a small fraction of easily digestible sugar such as glucose, fructose, or sucrose, an important portion of the complex sugar such as starch, and an important fraction of plant fibers, such as the cellulose and the hemi-cellulose.
This powder is therefore important for the incorporation in the preparation of food products which have a low content of immediately available calories and a large content in plant fibers necessary to diminish the intestinal transit.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
The pineapple is a low-growing perennial plant and belongs to the species of ananas comosus of the plant order Bromeliales, which is indigenous to the Americas. The root stock produces a compact cluster of stiff swordlike leaves from the center of which arises a spike of crowded flowers, crowned by a cluster of smaller spiney leaves. Each flower produces a berry. All the berries of the cluster and adjacent flower parts fuse to form a compound juicy fruit resembling a pine cone, hence the name. Pineapple plants can grow to a height of one meter and thrive in dry sandy soil. Hitherto, the juicy fruit has been substantially exploited for fruit and juice production.
Presently, the food products with a low calory content and with a high plant fiber content are in demand for well-known reasons which are set forth in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,677. This patent describes a food powder which is fabricated from a base of pineapple hearts. The hearts of the pineapple are cut into slices and washed with water in order to dissolve the water-soluble carbohydrates, such as sucrose, fructose, and glucose, and then treated with alcohol in order to eliminate certain tastes and smells.
The drawbacks of this method include: (1) low content in complex sugar, since a large part of the sugar in the fruit exists in a water-soluble form; (2) washing out of water-soluble mineral salts; (3) low content in bromelain. This enzyme exists to the largest part in the stem. It is noted that the bromelain which exists in the stems of the pineapple is different from the one existing in the fruits. The bromelain of pineapple stems has a more important proteolytic activity than the bromelain of the pineapple fruits as will be described in detail below; (4) increased fabrication cost: there are several washings with water, treatment with alcohol, and high humidity in the raw material which results in a relatively small amount of dry powder.
It is also to be noted that the production of such a powder based on a sub-product, i.e. pineapple hearts, depends completely on the essential product, i.e. pineapple fruit, which prevents to form the fabrication of this powder in an independent manner, in particular as far as the quantity production is concerned.
This latter reason invites to look for a raw material source which is available in larger quantities.